Good & Evil
by Lorelai-Stevens
Summary: Is Evil really always bad? Can Good disappoint us? Is love between the two of them able to remain or is it going to lead everything into disaster? Fanfiction epos about the second war against Voldemort. Katie B. / Adrian P.
1. The Prophecy

**Good & Evil**

Foreword

* * *

_.x._

_One out of six starts a war of whim,_

_believing he'll go places._

_while envy, fraud and sin erode him,_

_he can't see what he faces._

_._

_The second out of six averts_

_what's in for the third_

_and finds towards the end,_

_what gets others deeply stirred._

_._

_Revenge and murder lead the third,_

_forbid her to impart_

_until one is to derive her_

_and gently touch her heart._

_._

_He who may seem trivial,_

_whose jealousy sets fire_

_will burn down in denial_

_and betray his heart's desire._

_._

_Five and Six are disparate,_

_each others actual enemy._

_decided is their fate,_

_once to form real unity._

_one life is lost, on life is saved._

_evil is hailed, good is depraved._

_they cause dread, they cause war,_

_they cause fraud and they cause sin_

_one manipulative Gryffindor_

_and her courageous Slytherin._

_.x._

* * *

_**Tbc.**_


	2. The Second Order

Disclaimer: The HP universe belongs to J. K. Rowling and I'm only borrowing her characters and Hogwarts to play with them and give them back when I'm done.

A/N: This story takes place between June 1995 and May 1998 and will approach the second war against You-Know-Who. I'd love to hear your opinion on the prophecy in the foreword, so please let me know what you thought of it! I also want to apologize in advance for small mistakes, I'm German and I'm really trying.

Off you go to (hopefully) enjoy the 'Old crowd'!

**Good & Evil**

Undisclosed Desires | Man In The Mirror | Closure

Chapter 1 – **The Second Order**

* * *

"_Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, _

_there is no hope for any of us._"

—Albus Dumbledore

* * *

_June 24th to 25th, 1995_

The Order of the Phoenix didn't exist anymore. According to Lord Voldemorts downfall in October 1981 it had been dissolved – no resistance was needed when there was no black magical villain to fight. The surviving members – those who weren't brutally murdered by Death Eaters – 14 in number, two of them permanently damaged by a curse and one lifelong in Azkaban – were secretly relieved. After all the war, all the losses and all that fear that had grown a constant companion during Voldemorts reign of terror, the Order only reminded them of things they rather repressed.

Peace lasted for almost 14 years.

Fourteen years in which many Death Eaters had asserted that they had been under the Imperius curse and wouldn't have been unaware of his actions. Fourteen years in which the magical world was able to recover from the fright and horror. Fourteen years in which the Order of the Phoenix was nothing more than a colourless reminder of darker, more desperate times. Times, when there was no room for love, for family, for joy or happiness. Fourteen years to lick the wounds, to recharge power and re-arm oneself.

For the second round.

Albus Dumbledore was pacing up and down his office; almost one hour had passed since a distraught Harry Potter had returned into the maze with the corpse of Cedric Diggory in his arm and had confirmed his worst fears. To be particular, the boy had surpassed even his most unpleasant expectations. The Dark Lord had returned and if one was to believe Severus Snape – and there was a good case to believe him – even more powerful and relentless than before. Nothing less than the return of exactly this man would prompt him to summon the "Old Crowd", the former members of the Order, head over heels into his school. Not all the members, of course. After all, the Order was a secret society and that kind of gathering in his tiny office would look highly suspicious. He charged Sirius Black to notify Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher and Remus Lupin. By use of his patronus he had sent the rest of them a brief message to gather at Hogwarts as soon as possible.

It was time to bring the Order of the Phonix back to life.

Near the desk a rotating silhouette appeared in the open fire. Coughing and covered in soot, Emmeline Vance stumbled out of the chimney and only a split second later the straw-blond Sturgis Podmore followed her example.

"What happened, Albus?" Emmeline asked immediately, tapping the ash from her coat. "Oh, sorry, Sturgis. I didn't see you coming…"

"One moment of patience, Emmeline, my dear" Dumbledore said. Only seconds later, footsteps on stone were heard. The door to the headmaster's office flew open and Professor McGonagall appeared with a chalk-white face and her mouth cleared into an even thinner line than usual.

"Alastor was taken to the St. Mungo – his condition is stable, according to the circumstances, but he will have to stay there until tomorrow. No wonder, trapped in a suitcase for months, half-starved…"

"Moody?" Sturgis said incredulously. "Alastor Moody?"

"The real one for a change" Professor McGonagall said with a confirming nod and pursed her lips. "I can't believe he had to go through all of this, an eternity in the dark, with his paranoia… And this _Crouch_-" She stopped and shuddered at the thought.

"Crouch?" Vance asked, now confused.

Suddenly appearing flames announced the arrival of Hestia Jones, who fought her way awkwardly out of the chimney, shook her black, curly hair and spread soot all over the carpet.

"Albus", called Doge delighted, who arrived next and crossed the room with just a few steps to shake Dumbledore's hand. "It's been a long time, yes, way too long… So much to do, so busy- But what happened? Your message was, well, very surprising, I'd say" he reeled in his whistling voice and looked around the room as if he had noticed just now that he wasn't the only visitor. Hestia was talking in restrained volume to Emmeline Vance, to find out why she was here. Dumbledore cleared his throat and where agitated voices had prevailed before suddenly was silence.

"I'm afraid," Dumbledore began unusually tense, "I'm afraid I owe you all an explanation. Please forgive my impertinence to ask you all to even come here late at night, but I have to tell you something that is going to put you in shock…"

Vance threw a nervous glance at Podmore, Professor McGonagall rustled uneasily with her robe.

"Lord Voldemort-" almost everyone in the room winced scared, Podmore broke the strange, glassy object which he had been turning in his hands – "Lord Voldemort" has been helped back to his full power by Peter Pettigrew and has obtained his human body. He's back. Severus Snape, who spies on the highest risk of his life for the Order, is currently attending a Death Eater convention of the second hour, to learn more."

For a moment there was dead silence. Then, when the brains around him had managed to collect the sense Dumbledore's words made, all hell broke loose: Jones gasped for air, Vance stifled a shrill cry, Doge panted breathlessly and Podmore was too thunderstruck to even blink.

"When?" he asked stunned.

"How-" Vance gasped, still in shock, and pulled up a char to avoid falling over.

"Minerva" Dumbledore said and waved her over to the middle of the office, where they could all hear her clearly. Jones and Vance excharged puzzled looks. The next hour, the former members of the Order of the Phoenix listened grimly to McGonagalls words, who was reproducing Barty Crouch Juniors story, then they fell silent again. Jones, who had repeatedly jumped up indignantly at McGongagalls report, was now slumped in a chair, staring at one of the portraits with a frozen facial expression.

Dumbledore also kept silent. He knew the story, he had guessed what was going to come and yet – now that the time had come, it filled him with dread. He had known that Lord Voldemort would come back eventually – he had known it from the moment when the power of the Dark Lord had fallen.

"So, where are we going to go from here?" Doge asked into the awkward silence, his voice trembling. He was scared – of course, who wasn't scared in times like this? Amazing how quickly the old state had returned.

"The ministry must be informed," remarked Podmore and Jones nodded in agreement. "Someone has to go to the Headquarters immediately to give alarm."

"There's no use in that, Hestia." McGonagall disagreed, shaking her head. "Fudge was already here, Albus was talking to him. We cannot hope to get support from the Ministry of Magic. Fudge has expressed himself very clearly." She pressed her lips together and an angry snort through the nose told everyone what she thought of that.

"He isn't planning on doing something?" concluded Vance. "Is he crazy!"

"Must be, if he steps aside so willingly and paves You-know-Who's way to destroy the world and all of us with it." Jones said dryly, clenching her fist.

"Can't Barty Crouch Junior repeat his statement?" Fudge shall interrogate him, there is no way he can possibly doubt his statement." Doge suggested half-heartedly.

"Crouch isn't fit to be questioned, the ministry has already taken care of that very well." McGonagall said morosely. "Fudge insisted to take a Dementor with him as a personal bodyguard and, well, you're able to imagine the rest…"

A shudder went round. To their dismay, they were all able to imagine it very well.

"What about the Potter boy?" Podmore asked doubtfully. "He was there, right? Fudge has to believe him."

"Oh please, Sturgis, if Fudge thinks of Dumbledore as a fool with way too much free time and imagination, do you believe in all seriousness that he's going to take Potters word at face value?" Jones prevailed on him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hardly." Podmore admitted gloomy.

"Potter has yet returned with Diggory's body, right? That should be proof enough, you'd say." Vance frowned.

"Not for the Minister of Magic, obviously."

"But not even _Fudge _could be _that_ stupid-"

"Well, yes, as you can see-"

"But who besides You-know-Who would have killed him otherwise? Except Potter not a soul was in vicinity."

Podmore put on his There-you-have-it-face.

"You mean, Fudge thinks that Potter himself finished Diggory off?" Vance exclaimed in horror. "Impossible!"

"If he's really going to try to conceal You-Know-Who's return then that would fit his book just fine, wouldn't it? He simply maintains that Potter battered Diggory to death with the Triwizard Cup to win the tournament and he already has his scapegoat to present to the world."

"But-"

"Outrageous discussions aren't going to get us any further at this case," concluded McGonagall the issue harshly and looked at Dumbledore expectantly. "What did you have in mind, Albus?"

Dumbledore folded his arms behind his back. "What I asked you all to come here tonight. The same that has been the only thing we could do in the first place. To put on the best defense against Lord Voldemort and hope-"

Short silence ensued, while everybody was indulging in their own thoughts and Dumbledore strode over to the bar Fawkes, the phoenix, was sitting on. "… hope, that the Order of the Phoenix is able to take him down."

Emmeline held her breath. The Order – or at least what was left of it – was their only chance. Her stomach contracted painfully, as always when she failed to repress the memories of the first Order of the Phoenix. Dearborn, Meadowes, Fenwick,the Prewetts… So many of them lost their lives in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and Emmeline had no doubt that this time it wouldn't be any different. Carefully she looked from Hestia to Elphias, from Elphias to Sturgis and back. Who would have sacrifice themselves like the Potters did? Which families would become extinct like the McKinnons did? And which of them would end up as human wrecks this time as the Longbottoms did? She shuddered. The Order was their only chance. They would fight, cost what it may.

She caught Hestia's expectant gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly before she rose.

"You can count on me" was all she needed to say, they would understand.

Hestia didn't even bat an eyelid once. "Not in hell am I going to miss this!"

"Ditto," Sturgis said lightly. What else? The war would outrun them all sooner or later. Doge nodded quickly. He was too afraid to speak – he feared his voice would fail him service.

A light smile slipped on Dumbledore's lips. He hadn't doubted for a minute that they were going to fight again. Too many friends to take vengeance for, too much was there to lose. He began to pace up and down again. "You know what to do… The Order of the Phoenix has suffered enormous losses; we are currently too few to operate. The first thing we'll have to do will be to convince people of Lord Voldemort's return. Hestia," he said to the Auror, "you're at the Head Quarters, you know best who's willing to join us."

Hestia nodded. She immediately took an entirely different attitude. Her gaze went sharp and she stepped into the middle of the room. "Shacklebolt, Abbott, O'Leary, Laurie, Tonks and Bell." she enumerated in a business-like voice. "Maybe Fawcett and Montgomery, too, but I wouldn't put my shirt on that man." She wrinkled her forehead hard. "I'm almost a hundred percent sure we're going to be able to convince Shacklebolt, Tonks and O'Leary of joining. Moody was Tonks' mentor, she is alright, a little scatterbrained, but an ace at camouflage and disguise. Metamorphmagus, she could be useful. Shacklebolt has worked at this vampire incident in Greenwich with me, I know his sentiments and he's a quite big shot. If Scrimgeour or Robards are promoted or plan to peg out anytime soon, he'll take over the Head Quarters, I'd bet my broomstick…"

She thought for a moment. "Abbott will be OK too – she may not join us because her daughter Hannah still goes to school and if Abbott is acting out against them openly, she might get her in danger, so she won't take the risk, but she's going to support us at least. Laurie and Bell are fresh from the academy and still a little bit wet behind their ears, but both come from brilliant families who were already active in the resistance. They're definitely qualified. O'Leary has had her personal differences with the cursed Death Eater pack, so it's only going to be a matter of time until she's in."

"What about Dawlish? Proudfoot and McLeod?" Sturgis suggested and Hestia shook her head vehemently.

"Dawlish creeps deeper into Fudge's butt than he's tall, the little bootlicker. Proudfoot blabs too easy and McLeod misses nerve."

"Forsyth?" Podmore dared to try again and Jones furrowed her brow. "I haven't even thought of her… I have no idea. I'm going to suss her out a bit."

"Very good." Dumbledore nodded sympathetically. "In addition, a bigger part of Arthur Weasley's family will want to join the Order, I suppose, now that almost all of their children have grown up…"

"Poor Molly" murmured Emmeline and Sturgis nodded. The Weasleys had lost enough in the last war.

"The twins look exactly like Fabian and Gideon. I would have thought they were it, if I hadn't known better" said Professor McGonagall. For a moment she paused, then she shook her head, as if she had to shake off a troublesome thought. "Well, we cannot waste time. You-Know-Who might just plan his first move. We all know what we have to do."

They all nodded.

"Well then." McGonagall was breathing deeply through her nose and adjusted her cloak. "Go in and win!"

* * *

**Tbc.**


	3. You Know What

Disclaimer: I don't own the HP universe (sadly) and since I own no money it wouldn't be profitable to sue me.

A/N: Alright, here's a new chapter! I'd like to thank amama123, teamtorettosupporter, Afrenchgirl and Nerea for their reviews to the foreword and the first chapter! Truth is, I was just super excited every time I got that info email, so keep it up, please! :) I assume the prophecy poem served its purpose, even though I would love you to leave your presumptions as a review to know who you think is affected by it.

This chapter is hopefully going to propose riddles on the one hand and solving riddles on the other. It's going to involve a little Weasley chaos, for everyone that's as fond of them as I am, and if you're going to read thorough, you'll find out a little bit about Katie's family.

Enough said, enjoy and please keep the reviews coming!

**Good & Evil**

Undisclosed Desires | Man In The Mirror | Closure

Chapter 2 - **You-Know-What**

* * *

‚_Every beginning is difficult, particularly the beginning of the end.' _

_- Zarko Petan_

* * *

_**The Daily Prophet**_**, July 3, 1995**

_On the evening of July 2nd, a muggle burglar in Cornwall has made one gruesome discovery: On one of his raids at a seemingly inhabited manor of the southern district, he came upon two bodies. The house was completely destroyed, the bodies in a non-portable state, he told the muggle police. Two employees of the Ministry took care of the situation. Although it was obviously murder, the investigation revealed no specific details. There was a loss of rounded half million Galleons. The identities of the victims have not yet been clarified. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is asking for your help. Information should be directed to the Office for Investigation and Detection._

_Reported by Dough Harmish_

* * *

**September 2, 1995**

With a loud bang Miles Bletchley let his Potions book fall on the common room table. Adrian Pucey, who was just trying to draw a very complicated character for his Ancient Runes homework, looked up expectantly and raised an eyebrow.

"What's with that?"

Miles pointed to the book. "Apparently the book's previous owner thought it was super smart to add his two cents to every recipe. Something's always crossed out so you can't read it and the cover surely has seen better times." He flopped himself on the opposite seat with a sullen expression. "I gave my own Potions book to Gabriel, because he wasn't able to get one of his own at _Flourish & Blotts_, so I had to ask Snape for a book. This is the only one left and now I know why." He grunted. "It stinks."

Adrian took the book and opened it at its first page. "_Property of the Half-Blood Prince_", he read with furrowed brow. He looked at Miles. "Who the hell is the Half-Blood Prince?"

Miles shrugged. "No idea. If I wouldn't know for sure that this arrogant little bootlicker Malfoy was a pure-blood, I'd bet my broomstick that it's him. Who else would give themselves such a title? It's bloody stupid if you ask me."

Adrian flipped through the book from cover to cover. As Miles had said, on nearly every page stood hand-written notes on the sides. There were additional tips and guidance to existing recipes. With the feeling that this book would come in handy some time, he closed it and fumbled in his school bag until he found his own Potions book, then he offered it to Miles.

"Here. You can have mine."

"Really?" Miles' mood seemed to improve immediately. He grabbed the still brand new looking Potions book and tucked it into his bag, then his excitement gave way to skepticism. "And what do you expect in return?"

"What makes you think I do?" Adrian wanted to know.

"Well, it would be the first time in ten years that you'd expect nothing in return for a favor." Miles noted. "Do you remember that time when we were eight and asked you to help me smuggle my dad's magic carpet from the attic and you made me promise to give you my sneakoscope? Or in second grade, when I asked you to persuade Sidney Anderson in going out with me and you meant you'd only help me if I'd allow you to write off my Charms homework? Or at the age of ten, when-"

"I got it" Adrian interrupted him flailing. "I'm an evil son of a bitch. Tell me something I don't know. But, as a matter of fact, there really is something you could do for me."

His best friend sighed resignedly. "What would that be?"

"Go to Montague and tell him that I'm not going to play anymore this year." Adrian said quietly and brushed aside black bangs of his tousled hair. "He'll have to get himself a new chaser, whether he wants to or not."

"What?" Miles spit out dumbfounded, who wasn't too fond of the idea of playing in the Quidditch team without his best friend. "But why?"

"I have my reasons" said Adrian tersely and stared fixedly at his homework while the grip around the pen in his hand tightened and made his knuckles turn white.

"Are you sure?" Miles wanted to know, who completely missed out on Adrian's tension. _What else is new?_ Miles never had been the attentive, sensitive type. He always completely passed up on emotional states and as a comforter he was entirely useless. "Montague's going to kill me! The bearer of bad news is always a bad guest, you know! What am I supposed to tell him?"

"You'll think of something." Adrian assured him and put his books into his bag before he got up. If only he didn't have to think of something. "Make something up. Tell him I had a bit too much fun with women and my healer says sitting on a broom in the near future wouldn't be ideal." He faked a mischievous grin, patted on Miles' shoulder, swung his bag over his own and fled from the common room and the company of his best friend as long as he was still able to keep a straight face at the thought of his reasons not to play Quidditch.

* * *

Katie Bell was working in the library on an essay about the breeding and treatment of reel roots, which Professor Sprout had already encumbered them on the second day of school, when suddenly the two students appeared at her table from whom she had thought up till now that they didn't even know where the library was.

"What's happening, Kates?" George Weasley greeted her.

"You all right?" his identical twin brother Fred added. Without waiting for an answer they sat down left and right from her on the bench.

"You've got to help us," he demanded and grabbed her essay.

"I do?" Katie said amused and snatched the piece of parchment, before he was able to make fun of her bad phrasing.

"You do," George probated and held the essay in his hand before she could even blink. "You'll get this back as soon as you've helped us." He frowned as he skammed the text. "Your diction is horrible!"

"With what do you need my help, you buggers?"

"No need to be rude, Ms Bell," Fred looked around cautiously, as if a troll could jump out between the bookshelves at any second. "Angelina is going to show up in-" He threw a checking glance at his watch. "- ten and a half minutes and look for us. And as soon as she gets here, she's probably going to be fire spitting with rage because Harry incurred detention in Umbridge's class and by sheer chance –"

"– we had absolutely nothing to do with it –"

"– Umbridge may or may not have found newt eyes in her daily cup of tea after that and for some reason she thinks that we are behind that and gave us impositions."

"Whatever gave her that idea." Katie said sarcastically. "Let me guess, now you want me to make up an alibi for you to delay the good scolding?"

"Exactly. You are the most talented liar we know -"

"Well thank you very much," Katie grumbled.

"- not to mention that people believe absolutely everything you say -"

"- and nobody would ever come to the idea that this lovely, decent, well-behaved girl with the blonde curls and the button nose that always looks like it would never even hurt a fly would do something that's against the rules -"

"- especially since she's a prefect."

"Which is, by the way, a reason not to be friends with you. But we want to, anyway. See it as a charity thing," bantered Fred and pinched her nose playfully.

"Say no more, I got it, you're safe with me," Katie grimaced while the twins beamed mischievously and almost crushed her to death.

"We LOVE you, you know that, right?" Fred smarmed and rediculously batted his eyelashes. "Honestly Katie, you have ALWAYS been our favourite."

"Yeah, as if one of you two even knew how to write 'honestly'," Katie sighed. "Alright you toadies, stop the nonsense and give me back my paper." She demandingly held out her hand, but George hesitated and bagged the essay. "I'd rather not. Trust me Kates, it's for your own good. Your phrasing is dreadful. It's even worse than Fred's."

"Eh!" Fred protested.

"Sad but true," Katie shrugged her shoulders indifferently and took a look on the big, ancient clock above the library door. "So, according to my time reckoning you have eight minutes left until Angelina shows up. Educate me on why Harry has detention with Umbridge after only one _Defense Against The Dark Arts_ lesson?"

"Oh you are going to love this," Fred put on a gleeful grin. That irritated Katie. "Why whould I love Harry being in trouble?"

"It's less the fact that he is in trouble but more the reason why he is in trouble that you're gonna love, Katiekins," corrected Fred and straddled the bench, while George took over the thread of the story. "Our dear Professor Umbridge tried to talk the Boy-Who-Lived-Like-Four-Times into believing that You-Know-Who is still nothing but a flight of fancy and that Cedric Diggory just dropped dead because he felt like it. You might be able to imagine what Harry thought of that."

Katie could only shake her head at the fact that the Ministry of Magic still got the nerve to deny You-Know-Who's return where it already received missing person reports and tidings about murder, like the one in July about two people getting killed in Cornwall, which dead certain beared the hallmarks of the Death Eaters. "What did Harry do?"

"Nothing much, really. Told her the truth about Cedric Diggory's death and went all rebel, when she tried to stop him," George reported with distinct pride in his voice.

Fred pretended to wipe away tears of affection. "Attaboy."

"We raised him well," George agreed with a nod.

"You're both oddballs," Katie stated, shaking her head. "But while we're at it, talking about You-Know-Who," She made sure nobody was listening and lowered her voice. "Anything new regarding the You-Know-What?"

"Nah," Fred said quietly and disapprovingly shook his head.

"Mom found our Extendable Ears so we couldn't tap any secret information anymore and now that they know that we're snooping, they use weird code words or only talk about the secret stuff when they're convinced that we're asleep," George said and it was obvious that he was still angry about being out of the loop. "With you?"

"Neither," she retorted displeased. "My brother sent me a letter but nothing we didn't already know about. There are still people missing, Fudge is further on thinking Dumbledore is only trying to suppress him and the Aurors are tied up in knots because they're officially not allowed to do anything about it. They feel useless while You-Know-Who and his lapdogs are out there building up an army."

She frowned. "But he managed to convince two of his friends to join the You-Know-What."

"It's not much, but it's a start," George said thoughtfully and Katie scoured her brain looking for a memory in which she ever saw a Weasley twin this serious.

"I wish we could do something useful instead of just sitting around waiting for something to happen," Fred said passionately. "But as long as this Umbridge is at our school, there is nothing we can do to support the You-Know-What except trying to convince others that everything Dumbledore and Harry said is true and we all know how well that went."

He scuffed. "Stupid gits, repeating everything the_ Daily Prophet_ writes like bloody parrots."

"We'll think of something," Katie said doubtfully, more to convince herself than Fred.

As long as the Ministry refused to admit You-Know-Who's return and as long as Umbridge strayed at Hogwarts to weed out rebels, there really was little to do for them. Lost in thought she looked around at the mostly empty library, when two students cought her eye, sitting on the ground and leaning on a shelf while they were observing passing students without talking to each other. They wore dark grey Hogwarts uniforms, including the required white button-down-shirt underneath and loosely bound silver-green ties. Katie's facial expression darkened.

"Perhaps there is something we can do after all," Fred began who had followed Katies gaze.

George, as usual, had already divined his twin's thought and nodded. "We always worry about the danger that's gonna threaten us outside of Hogwarts, but what about the danger within it?" he said meaningfully, pointing towards the Slytherins with a nod. "We all know that the serpents are sympathizing with You-Know-Who's views - as you can tell by just looking at Malfoy, that little prick, or Flint. Who assures us that they're not going to defect at the very first opportunity?"

"Someone should definitely keep an eye on that bunch before they get any daft ideas," Fred muttered assenting. "We still won't achieve much with that, but at least we won't be sitting around idly."

"Your sense of mischief would be deployed reasonable for once," Katie concluded and poked George's side amicably.

"True that!" George rose and stretched himself luxuriously, before he took a look on the clock and startled. "_Dammit_, Angelina is going to be here any second. Look alive, Fred."

"Time to buzz off, indeed", Fred admitted and leapt to his feet for a mocking bow. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Miss. And remember, -"

"_Don't tell anybody about the You-Know-Wha_t", Katie rattled off, nodding. "I know, Sam has been telling me the same thing over and over and again." She rolled her eyes and shooed them, as she noticed approaching footsteps which sounded suspiciously like Angelinas, who was always stomping like a herd of hippogriffs when she was pissed off. She only just saw two ginger bobs disappearing behind the next shelf, as a snorting with rage quidditch captain built in front of her desk.

"Where are those muppets," Angelina demanded to know.

"Who?" Katie asked sanctimoniously and pretended to write her Herbology essay.

Angelina walked around Katie's table and started picking books from the shelves to peer through. "The spawn of the devil, the reason I'll go grey at twenty. They must have com past here, Ernie Macmillan told me." Katie had a fancy that Ernie didn't tell her voluntary. Angelina's eyes narrowed to slits and she looked at Katie searchingly. "You would give the word if they had stopped by, wouldn't you? For the purposes of our long-term friendship and whathaveyou?"

"Seriously, Angelina, whom would I help rather - you, with whom I'm friends since my first day at Hogwarts and who always runs interference for me on the Quidditchfield, or the twins of chaos who dyed my hair green with a spell in second grade and have put toads into my bed." She put on her most innocent, trustworthy face. Angelina's expression softened and she sighed yieldingly before she sat down on the edge of the table.

"Makes sense. Somehow," she admitted and grabbed Katie's second, half-finished essay. "It's just that they're driving me nuts! I have no idea how Oliver managed to schedule a regular training for three years when I'm only captain for a day and already am struggling because three members of our team got detention! I bet something like this never happened to Wood."

She frowned, looking at the essay in her hand. "Wow, Katie, you really should do something about your diction."

* * *

From time immemorial, being a Slytherin had required a mixture of indifference, callousness, obstinacy, the ability to form their own opinion and the pigheadedness to insist on the very same. But above all, one needed to be thick-skinned. When the Sorting Hat had sent him to Slytherin, he did expect a certain extent of rejection. It had been quite clear to him that the other students would be suprised by the hat's choice, especially due to the fact that all of his siblings had been sorted into the Houses of the "good guys".

His _flawless_ brothers. His _perfect_ little sister.

He could feel her looking at him, but as soon as he looked up she quickly turned away and spoke at a low voice to the two redheads at her side. If she knew what he knew she would pass away the arrogance. _Prefect._ He almost gave a humourless laugh.

At first they all tried to cover up their dismay about his house affiliation and act normal in dealing with him, but as soon as they noticed that not only his but also their own popularity suffered from it, they gave it up pretty quickly. He would have been able to live with that - his siblings turning away from him, because they preferred their unblemished hipocrite friends over the wily Slytherin brother - but it weren't only the students from other houses that shunned him.

Once the House knew what his family thought of them, he was met by nothing but suspicion. His classmates avoided talking to each other in front of him, let alone _with_ him because they thought he would extravert their little secrets. Until his current best friend took a stand for him and put an end to this nonsense.

By now it was own decision not to talk to his classmates, apart from his best friend. Well, the term friend was debatable - they kept each other company, sat together at dinner, teamed up in class and in exchange they accepted one anothers self chosen solitude without asking stupid questions. None of them had ever questioned the agreement and it had always worked perfectly.

Just as at this very moment as they sat side by side on the floor in front of the shelf, enjoying the library's silence knowing that either one of them was bothered by something, but also accepting that neither one of them wanted to talk about it. They simply needed company.

A loud, imperious voice made him shy away from his thoughts and he looked over at the Gryffindor prefect, only to witness how the very same girl flat-out lied right into her friends dewy-eyed face without even batting an eyelid. Nothing new; it only confirmed once again what he already knew anyway. Year-long bottled up anger was simmering in the depths of his stomach and spread throughout his whole body.

How easily they could have swapped places. How easily he could have been in her place, being popular with his classmates and the teachers, being prefect and member of the Quidditchteam and how easily she could have been in his place, spending her Hogwarts years in the dungeons, where even her own condisciples excluded her and where everyone could see who she truly was.

"Gabe, you okay?" Adrian asked firmly, anxious not to invade his privacy.

_No_, he thought. "It's all good," he answered instead and his friend pulled back into his self-imposed silence. His instinct told him to ask Adrian about is well-being, who seemed to deal with something since he had entered Hogwarts this year, but their agreement kept him off. Company in exchange for not interfering. That was the deal.

And Slytherins always adhered to deals.

* * *

**Tbc.**


	4. Dark Blue Part One

Disclaimer: Everything about Harry Potter and his bewitching world belongs to J.K. Rowling, while I own nothing but a bored and unchallenged brain full of ideas and a laptop to write them down.

A/N: With this chapter we finally steep into the story, that's why the chapters are getting longer from now on. _Sadly, I'm not able to post the full chapter yet, because there are a few scenes missing and since I'm going off to Ireland tomorrow and won't be back until 10th, you would have to wait too long. So I'm uploading the first half now and the second half when I'm back_. 'You-Know-What' was supposed to give a little look at Katie's stand in this war and give an insight on Gabriel's thoughts and his deal of a friendship with Adrian. You already guessed it, Gabriel is Katie's brother and if you've read thorough you might have noticed, that she's talking about another brother of hers, Sam, who is a Junior Auror at the Ministry. Everything else was pretty clear, but you're free to ask what you want in a review!

Katie and Adrian are going to meet in the second half of the chapter. (I'M SORRY! I'm a heartless bitch..)

This Chapter is dedicated to everyone that reviewed the last ones! Thank you so much! Please keep it up :) Enjoy the twins struggling with their relationships, Katie taking on Umbridge and a new character!

**Good & Evil**

Undisclosed Desires | Man in the mirror | Closure

Chapter 3 – **Dark Blue -** First Part

_He is notable as one of the few Slytherin Quidditch players who is not shown to commit a foul or otherwise cheat, _

_despite being on the Quidditch team for at least three years._

— Harry Potter Wiki article about Adrian Pucey

"So let me get this right," Alicia repeated slowly, "you're saying that You-Know-Who is back and looks for something, but you can't tell us what it is."

The Twins nodded vigorously.

"You're also saying," Angelina took over, "that you're not allowed to tell us how you know that and why you're involved."

Again, vigorous nodding.

Alicia folded her hands on the table. "And there is a secret organization working against You-Know-Who, but again you're not allowed to tell us what it's about, what it's called, where it's located and who's involved."

"Absolutely right." George validated.

"And you want us," Angelina pointed at herself and Alicia, "to immediately forget anything we heard and act as if we knew absolutely nothing?"

"Exactly."

"That should be easy," Angelina said to Alicia, "since we _do_ know absolutely nothing."

The four Gryffindor seventh-graders sat on the stone steps that led to the _Transfiguration_ courtyard. Fred and George had plucked up the courage to take Katie's advice to inform their girlfriends about their resistance activities during vacation. But instead of calming the two chasers, as the twins had intended, it caused the exact opposite.

"Basically the only thing we now know is that you kept something from us." Alicia stated and frowned.

Fred and George exchanged worried looks. It didn't exactly go swimmingly.

"Oh, I knew it before." Angelina disagreed and folded her arms. "Fred, as your girlfriend I demand you to immediately tell me what's going on!"

She caught an indignant look from Alicia. "And by 'me' I meant 'Leesh and I'!" she added hastily.

"As I said before, we're not allowed to reveal anything. Actually we broke the rules already by talking to you about the secret organization." George said wearily and rubbed his eyes.

He had been pulling all-nighters for weeks now, sometimes by developing new joke articles with Fred, but mainly by worrying about the war and what would happen to all of them, his family and especially him and Alicia. He had wanted to keep his part in the resistance a secret to protect her, but Katie was right. Having secrets in a relationship would only damage it instead of keeping it stable.

"Fine," Angelina snapped, "then for all I care you can continue to hide everything you do. It's not like it would affect us anyway if war breaks out or you get yourselves killed. Go forth and catch the next death curse. _I. don't. care_."

Fred looked concerned and a little bit guilty. "You can't be serious, Angel."

"Of course I'm not serious, you mutt!" she barked. "What would you say to me if I told you I wanted to join a secret organization that is most likely to cause me an early, painful death? Do you expect me wave farewell and say things like _Do that, darling, but make sure you'll be back for dinner_?"

Fred's ears had turned red. "From a superior point of view you're exaggerating," he tried to explain, anxious for composure.

"From a superior point of view you're a twit!" Angelina snubbed. "You know what I think? I think you shouldn't do it! I think you should stay out of this resistance movement completely!"

"Stop telling me what to do!"

Angelina became hysterical and Alicia and George felt that this should be a private conversation between them. They stood up quietly and snuck away toward the entrance hall. Fred and Angelina didn't even notice. They were too busy yelling at each other.

"Whoa," George said cheerfully, as they reached the Entrance Hall, "Angelina just went completely crazy in there". He turned to Alicia, when suddenly, a strike on the chest caused him to stagger backwards.

"What the hell - Leesh, what was that for?"

"For being a blithering idiot, George Weasley!" Alicia replied, bristling with rage, while she tried to reach every single body part of him with her fists.

"Ouch! Leesh, stop it!"

"That was for hiding something from me! And that," she tormented his arm, "was for deciding to fight without even talking to me about it!"

George dodged her next punch and rubbed his sore arm. Through the years of Oliver's training, Alicia was pretty strong. "Stop beating me up for a second so we can talk about it, ok? I can explain why -" He paused for a moment. "Are you crying, Leesh?"

Alicia sobbed and furiously wiped the tears from her cheeks, while she hit him again with her free hand. "And that one's for deciding to get killed without even thinking about what's going to happen to me when you're dead!"

"I'm not dead!" George contradicted dismayed. "Are you listening? I'm not dead!"

"But you will be!" Alicia wept bitterly, so George captured her hands, which were still trying to hurt him, but had gotten weaker. She tried to turn away from him, but he forced her to look at him.

"Listen to me, Alicia! Listen to me! I," he pointed at himself, "am not dead. I am alive, breathing and there's still blood running through my veins. A lot of blood, actually. I'd even be able to bedrabble a few square meters floor for you if you plan on beating me up again."

Alicia giggled against her will, but because she was still sobbing, it sounded like a bubbling fountain witch chimes attached.

"It's not funny." she gasped with a hiccup and he pulled her into a hug.

"You're the one laughing, Leesh."

"I'm not laughing, I'm crying."

"It's a mixture of both, I suppose." he said with a smile and stroked her brown hair. For a moment they stood around like that in the Entrance Hall. The rest of the student body was sitting at lunch, so they remained undisturbed.

"Please don't die on me." Alicia murmured softly and George kissed her forehead. "I won't."

x

It didn't surprise Katie that by lunch the whole school was well-briefed about Hurry's outbreak in _Defense Against The Dark Arts_. After her leisure hour in the library she had met Janet from her grade and since Janet didn't know about the twins already telling Katie, she repeated the whole story and immediately warned her that Umbridge expected exact punctuality and strict discipline in her class. She also called Umbridge 'Frog face', which somehow delighted Kate on her way.

Katie swallowed the vegetable-rice casserole in record speed and rushed to the _Defense Against The Dark_ Arts classroom as fast as she could, accompanied by Leslie McDonel, a mediocre student from her dormitory, with whom she frequently did her homework. As soon as they got there, Katie let out a sigh of relief. Obviously Professor Umbridge wasn't there yet. Instead, a handful of dutiful timely Ravenclaws had made themselves comfortable on the desks and led a lively discussion.

"What's going on," Katie asked her cousin Jayden, who was sitting on a reversed chair near the group and listened.

"Interior team crisis," said Jayden and smiled shyly past Katie at Leanne. "Roger has made pretty clear that he thinks of Potter as a nutcase and Cho kind of lost it in response."

Katie looked over to Cho who got her back patted by Marietta. "She doesn't look like a nutter to me."

"You should have seen her five minutes ago. She cried and threw her _Transfiguration_ book at his head." Jayden disapprovingly shook his head.

There already had been Ravenclaws who carried their books around on velvet cushions or who only touched them with gloves, so Katie figured Cho must have been _really_ angry. Leanne gave Cho a compassionate look. "Poor Cho. As a Ravenclaw you'd think Roger knew he has to me more sensitive in dealing with her. After all, her boyfriend just died."

"- was murdered," Katie corrected bluntly and Jayden nodded to show he agreed with her. "What did she say?"

"She told him to shove the book up his arse, right after he pulled his head out of the very same."

"I volunteer to do that for him in our next Quidditch match if he doesn't want to do it himself," Katie offered.

"That'd be something I'd approve of if it wouldn't diminish our chances of winning," he pointed out.

Katie's mouth twitched in amusement. "As if you ever had any chances anyway."

"Just FYI, we plan on winning handsomely this year," Jayden informed her and turned around on his chair, as the rest of the class gradually dribbled into the room and Katie and Leanne sat down next to him.

"With a hysterical seeker and a headless hunter? Keep dreaming." Katie razzed him.

"Not everyone can have his a Harry Potter in his team." Jayden explained himself and put his book on the table.

"That, my favorite cousin is personal misfortune."

Jayden stuck out his tongue. "Speaking of Quidditch, do you guys have a replacement for Wood already?"

Katie shook her head. "Assortment's on Friday, but I'm not getting my hopes up. We're not going to find someone as good as Wood."

"What about you?" Jayden turned to Leanne, who dropped her wand in shock and quickly picked it up with slightly flushed cheeks. "Me?"

"Yes. Why don't you try out as keeper? Your reflexes are brilliant. All you'd need would be a bit of practice. You and I - we, I mean - we could -"

Unfortunately no one ever got to hear what the two of them could have done, because in that moment, the door of the classroom slammed and Professor Umbridge scuttled down the aisle between the tables, heading to the blackboard.

Hastily the students still standing around sat down on their seats and ceased their conversations.

"Good afternoon, class." Professor Umbridge greeted them formally and put her files on the teacher's desk. Nobody even made a peep. She groaned as if she had to make an effort and straightened her pink bow.

"Oh, this grade is also lacking in manners, I see." she stated snippy and stepped in front of the class with her hands raised as if she was conducting an orchestra. "The level of this school is truly frightening. I want you to repeat after me all together. _Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge_!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge!" the class chorused and the teacher smiled smugly.

"Well, well, looks like We're at least capable of learning. Quills out and wands away, please." she cooed, pulling out a short wand of her handbag and with only one swing words written in chalk appeared on the blackboard.

"What?" Katie exclaimed loudly and thirteen heads turned in her direction.

Professor Umbridge, who already sat down behind her desk, lifted her head. "What was that?" She pretended to look around the room as if a bird had chirped and she wanted to make out where he was sitting. "Have I heard some talk back?"

Katie just wanted to open her mouth, as a painful kick to her shin made her flinch.

"Shut up!" Jayden advised her muffled and buried himself in his textbook. The rest of the class held its breath. Katie pressed her lips together.

Professor Umbridge decided to ignore the disturbance, entangled her hands and let her eyes wander around the class, looking like a hungry vulture in search of remains of a meal.

"Please write the specified and sanctioned by the Ministry course goals off the blackboard. After that I expect you all to study them for five minutes and to be able to answer the following question:

_What are the benefits the students gather from carefully structured, theory-centered teaching and what vantages do they hold in relation to practice-heavy courses?_

You are also allowed to use your copy of _Theory of magical defense _by Wilbert Slink hard, that each of you should own by now. I don't tolerate conversations. If you have something to say, please raise your hand and wait until I invoke you."

Katie didn't even open her book before she raised her hand. Actually, she had wanted to pull herself together, but the mere mention of the fact that Professor Umbridge didn't intend to give practical lessons, put her in a rage. The twins, who had spoken to Harry, had told her about it.

Umbridge forced a smile. "You don't have a copy of the book, dear?"

"I do," Katie replied calmly.

"Well, then I suggest you open and read it." Umbridge replied impassively, and was about to turn again when she saw Katie's hand still raised.

"Is there something else that cannot wait until you have read the specified paragraph?" she asked sourly.

Katie pushed the book away and leaned on the table. "In fact there is, Professor. I conclude from your question that you're not going to give us practical lessons and now I wanted to ask, why. We have to learn how to defend ourselves, right?" She already knew what Umbridge was going to tell her, but she wanted to hear it.

The professor came closer to Katie's table. Katie could hear Leanne's frightened gasp. "The ministry does not consider it necessary for you to learn the practical application of magic, so I don't as well. You are all going to need the theoretical knowledge for your final exams, nothing more. And that's the point, right? For you all to pass your exams and make a good impression and to find a job in the ministry, which, as mentioned determines what I have to teach. "

Yada, yada, yada. Exactly what Katie had expected. She squared her shoulders and raised her hand again. No one else in the class seemed to have the courage to say something. As Professor Umbridge had little opportunity to act as if she had missed on Katie raising her hand, she turned to her again.

"Would you be kind enough to give me your name, little lady?" Umbridge demanded self-controlled and slowly walked towards her.

"Katie Bell," Katie replied calmly, sitting in her chair upright, "so you're saying that the ministry doesn't want us to learn how to defend ourselves in practical. Isn't that exactly what the ministry does to its Aurors? Forbid them to fight back and let them watch war breaking out around them? I think there happens to be a little misunderstanding, Professor."

She twisted her mouth into a winning smile. "This is Hogwarts. Not the ministry."

Now it was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop. Marietta Edgecombe was pressing her hands at her mouth. Cho cried silently.

When Katie slowly hit on the idea that may had gone too far, she bit her lip. She had not wanted to start any discussion, but somehow the hippogriff bolted with her. Suddenly she could understand how it must have been for Harry.

"Bell, was it?" Umbridge sweetly reassured herself and cocked her head. "From the Limerick Bells or the Birmingham Bells?"

Katie did not answer. An icy hand had reached for her heart and squeezed it. She had not expected that Umbridge would know her name in any connection, but she really should have known it. Leanne rammed her elbow into her side and with a flat voice she replied. "Limerick"

"Your brother works for the ministry then," Umbridge asked with a smile, that told that she already knew the answer to this question very clearly, "doesn't he?"

"Yes." Katie squeezed out from between her lips, trying not to look as horrified as she felt. That nasty old hag just pulled a move, which would guarantee Katie to be silenced. Her family was most important to her, probably more important than anything in this world. For her parents and her brothers, she would take on ten Umbridges, if she had to.

"He's an Auror, am I right?" persisted Umbridge. "Fresh from the Academy, if I remember correctly."

Katie's guts twisted and her throat was burning up. She clung to the wooden legs of the chair on which she sat and gritted her teeth. "Yes."

Everybody in the class room was as quiet as a mouse. Those who were either smart or sissy enough to keep out had turned to the front and stared at the board as if it were the most interesting thing they had ever seen in their lives, on which the class targets were still written. The rest, either curious or stupid enough, watched the spectacle with their mouths open. Katie, as she clutched her chair, Umbridge, who was smiling quietly to herself and bent over to Katie; both, as they stared at each other in complete silence, determined not to break eye contact.

Umbridge's smile grew wider and, in Katie's eyes, even more vicious. Her small, black beady eyes glistened. "Then Rufus Scrimgeour should be quite a household name to you, right, Miss Bell?"

"Yes."

"Of course you will be able to tell me then what position he holds in our ministry?" she rebored.

Katie didn't have to think for long. Sam had told her so much about the ministry hierarchy during the holidays that she would be able to rattle it off in her sleep. "Rufus Scrimgeour is currently the head of the Auror Office and thus entitled to control, examine and, if he decides it's necessary, dismiss the newbies from their service or have them repeat a year at the academy." _And obviously a good friend of yours who would love to do you a favor, _she added bitterly in her thoughts.

"You do have more siblings, Miss Bell?" stated Umbridge sweetly and firmly tilted her head.

"Yes."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Miss Bell, I'm afraid you still have to learn some manners. We try that again. Yes, _Professor Umbridge_."

Katie was boiling inside, but she forced herself to relax and deeply breathe through her nose. "Yes, Professor Umbridge. Two more brothers, one of them here at Hogwarts."

"A Slytherin, is that correct?" The malice in her voice couldn't be ignored any longer and those in the class that knew about Katie's relationship with Gabriel, slid uncomfortably in their chairs. Katie could hear Jayden snorting quietly behind her.

"Yes, Professor Umbridge."

"And your third brother," Umbridge went on gloatingly, "he was a Ravenclaw, wasn't he? Finlay Bell? He got accepted into a special program for healers at the _St. Pjotr Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries_ in Romania and is currently directly subordinated to Bob Derwent."

The Ministry officials had now ceased pretending not to know all these things and ask questions. Instead, she said "As it happens, I'm quite well known with Bob Derwent. A long term family friend, you must know." _And another friend who would like to do you a favor by dismissing employees, you smelly, old-_

Leanne's grip on Katie's wrist grew stronger and the red in front of their eyes gave way to the pink that was Umbridge's robe.

"Do you have anything left to add, Miss Bell?" Umbridge asked syrupy. Katie just shook her head. If she opened her mouth, she would yell at that woman and she couldn't take the risk. She had just told her, what would happen, if she did.

"Thought not. I'll see you in my office, Miss Bell, right after the lesson is going to end. We'll have a little chat in private."

Only the sound of her voice left Katie back frozen in terror, while Umbridge walked back to the teacher's desk self-satisfied, to continue with the lesson as if nothing ever happened.

x

Up on the seventh floor in a small, stuffy class room, the Slytherin seventh-graders were trying to solve a particularly tricky Arithmancy task. Adrian forced himself to keep his eyes open. He had hardly slept last night, horrible dreams had kept him awake. His eyes were burning with fatigue, as he stared at the parchment in front of him. Fortunately, he had always been good at Arithmancy.

He was just about to doze off again, when a dig in the ribs made him startle. Miles had been trying to catch his attention. He questioningly raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"They talk about you." Miles whispered from the corner of his mouth. "The others." he added without taking his eyes of Professor Vector, who paced up and down in front of the board and stared everybody down that dared to look up from their parchments.

Adrian shrugged indifferently and consulted a rate table. "If they have no other problems." People always talked.

"You shouldn't be so casual about it!" Miles hissed and a nerdy looking Ravenclaw student in the row in front of them shot him a dirty look. He ignored her masterly and continued to speak. "You didn't exactly score Brownie points with that move. Half of the house got brain washed by Umbridge or flirts with You-Know-Who's ideals and the other half is too scared to admit the contrary."

"I told the truth. Nothing more and nothing less." Adrian insisted stubbornly and put his quill so hard on the parchment, that it pierced. "If they're not able to handle it, then they shouldn't be talking about it right in the common room. It's not an issue for the younger ones."

"Of course it's not," Miles rowed back, "but if war really is going to break out, now, that the old man's back, they'll be just as stuck with it as we are!"

"You said 'if'." Gabriel murmured on Adrians right.

"What?" Miles snapped irritated.

"You said 'if' war is going to break out," Gabriel repeated clearer. "It isn't a question of _whether_, but of _when. _War is already approaching."

Adrian overlooked him and turned back at Miles. "All I did was to make sure that they get to hear another opinion, before they decide on anything without knowing the other side of the coin. If they have to be confronted with all of it, then at least by the right side," he talked himself into a rage, "these idiots are supposed to be role models, not sugarcoating criminals and murderers!"

"Mr. Pucey, I must ask you to cease the talking!" said Professor Vector upset. Adrian rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his Arithmancy paper, but Miles wasn't about to give it a rest already.

"What's even going on with you lately? he demanded quietly. "Completely out of the blue you move in with my family, then you won't tell me what happened, then, for no reason, you leave the Quidditch team and now you preach in a crowded common room that You-Know-Who is a gutless bastard!

Adrian gritted his teeth and stubbornly continued to scribble numbers on his parchment. "I've already told you, Quidditch just isn't my thing anymore."

"Not your thing anymore?" Miles incredulously repeated a little bit too loud.

"Shhhh!" The Ravenclaw girl looked at him indignantly.

"Oh, go burn your long johns or something," he hissed at her and grabbed Adrians arm. "Man, five years you were probably the best chaser that Slytherin ever had, you scored over 250 goals in 15 games; you even outclass Johnson and now you're seriously trying to tell me that _Quidditch just isn't your thing anymore_?"

Adrian shook off his hand. "Believe it or not, but neither will change the fact that I've stopped playing. Montague knows, so you better deal with it."

"Not exactly right. I didn't tell Montague anything, so unless he had an epiphany, he still thinks you're on. The team needs you, Adrian. I have no idea why you're impersonating Moaning Myrtle lately, but I'm not going to let the team suffer just because it's your time of the month and I'm sure as hell not going to endure Montague's rant instead of you. If you jack it all in, _fine_. But at least grow some balls and confess it to him yourself."

The bell rang and Miles threw a roll of parchment into his bag and stormed out the door. Adrian shrugged. Then he shrugged again, just for the gesture. There was worse than a angry team mate. His heart gave a little lurch and he began to pack his own things, when he noticed Gabriel still standing next to him.

"What?" he snapped and instantly regretted his outspoken tone of voice.

Gabriel just shook his head. "The Dark Lord is back and his followers' ears are everywhere, looking for supporters or opponents who dare to declare themselves openly against him, even here at Hogwarts. I don't have the foggiest notion what's wrong with you right now and I don't even want to know. But Miles is right, you should keep a low profile on your opinion, especially in the Slytherin common room," Gabriel said urgently.

"After all, our reputation did not come up by chance."

He combed his thick blond curls from his forehead with his fingers, then held out a small note. "Someone denounced you with Umbridge. She wants to see you in her office. Whatever you're going to tell her, you better not make it worse."

**Tbc.**

A./N. So this was the first half of chapter three. I hope you liked it. The second half contains Katie's and Adrian's first conversation and four men standing up for a friend.


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